The present invention relates to a collapsible canopy structure which is readily portable so that it may be used as a convenient shade screen or shelter, primarily for outdoor activities. The present canopy structure is particularly adaptable to be stored in its collapsed state in a relatively small volume yet which may be expanded to provide a shelter having a large surface area of coverage.
Although portable shelters have been in existence since the earliest of times when nomadic tribes began to spread across the prehistoric plains of the earth, there has been an inreasing need for greater sophistication in the quality and type of construction employed in portable apparatus that provides shelter for the human body. The state of this art has experienced a dramatic period of growth in the last 20 years with new technologies being developed in fabrics, support structure and design for light-weight tents and mountaineering shelters. Despite these advances, little attention has been directed to light-weight, large area shelters which may be stored in a small, collapsed state yet which may be easily expanded with a minimum amount of effort so that a sturdy, large area shelter may be erected.